


On Your Toes

by icantwriteyo



Series: Life is Strange 2 Ficlets [1]
Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Baby Daniel, Dancing, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Introspection, Kid Fic, Little Sean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22020622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icantwriteyo/pseuds/icantwriteyo
Summary: Esteban has a special moment with his oldest son and reflects on what's happened and what's to come.
Relationships: Esteban Diaz & Sean Diaz
Series: Life is Strange 2 Ficlets [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1585003
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	On Your Toes

He often brought work home, now, since...since it happened. Esteban spent more time with his boys, whenever he could. But, not all cars in his care could be driven from the shop to his home garage, but when he could, he would.

Like today. Which meant no babysitter for Sean and Daniel. Which meant plenty of breaks between greasy hands and cranking wrenches for bottles, homework help, and diaper changes.

He had put Daniel down for a nap only about 5 minutes ago, baby monitor cranked to max to crackle over the radio that played Esteban’s favorite Spanish tunes as he worked. 

“Papito!” Sean called out as he rushed downstairs into the garage, one foot after another, two steps at a time in excitement. Thank God Daniel was a heavy sleeper. “Mira, mira!” Sean flapped something that sounded like paper to get his father’s attention.

Hell, he was overdue for a break anyway. He pulled back from where he was under the hood of his car, wiping the grease off his knuckles. “What you got there, mijo?”

“I drew us!” Sean shoved the sheet of paper in his dad’s face, standing on his tiptoes as much as he could. Esteban let out a relieved breath as his son’s words. Sean loved drawing. Ever since he was able to grip with his little fists he wanted to leave his mark across the world. But, when it happened, when she left.

He stopped drawing. Those first few months were the toughest on his eldest. As much as it pained Esteban to have his love to leave him, it almost hurt more to see the light leave Sean’s eyes so young, to have him ask questions that Esteban struggled to find answers to. He knew, he was ready, in some way. It was like a bomb that ticked away in their home that no one discussed, but he and Karen both felt. Part of him thinks Sean felt it, too. He was such an empathetic boy, took everything on his shoulders like someone 5 times his age.

“What do you think?” Sean grinned, one of his front teeth missing in that wide smile. The tooth fairy left him a good $5 for that. 

The picture was adorable, with Sean’s unique little style twisted into it, wolf ears on the small family. A family that only had 3 members. His first drawing without his mother. It made something twinge deep and broken in Esteban’s heart, feeling a dampness in his eyes. He would never have tried to force Karen to stay, but by God did he wish she had given him more time, had left a bridge for her sons to cross some day, to know that she had to leave, not that they made her leave. Not that they were in the wrong. 

“¿Papito…que pasa?” Sean’s voice had grown soft and quiet, head tilted back to look up at his towering father. Ah, ever the empathetic child.  
“It’s beautiful, mijo. Let’s pin it up, huh?” 

“Yay!” Sean jumped excitedly as Esteban retrieved some thumbtacks, pinning the drawing up on his bulletin board next to his ever-updating and never ending to-do list. “It looks good there.”

“Yes, it does.” Esteban ruffled his youngest’s hair, giving him the widest smile he could manage. “Thank you.”

A familiar song filtered through the radio and Sean jumped excitedly. “I love this song!” It was a pop Spanish tune from the 90s, something Esteban found himself singing or humming to every time it was on. 

He offered Sean a hand. “Wanna dance?”

“Yeah!” Sean chuckled, an eruption of giggles as soon as Esteban spun him around the garage in circles. He was getting so big. And Esteban was getting older, finding more and more gray hairs hiding here and there. Well, better get in as many spins as possible before Sean is too big and cool to dance with his papito...and before Esteban’s back decides to remind him of his age.

As the tempo of the song slowed, he placed Sean down gently, before helping him to step his feet on top of his own. They waddled back and forth to the slower beats of the music as the song began to finish, Sean’s little giggles filled the garage as he balanced all his weight on his father.

“Love you, Papito.” Sean smiled.

“Love you, too, mijo.”

Just as he stepped off, Daniel’s cries rattled over the baby monitor. “And there’s my cue.” He ruffled Sean’s hair once more, the boy’s inky locks a tangled mess at this point. “Come up when you’re ready, I’ll fix us dinner.”

“Okay.” Sean said softly, staring up at where his father had pinned his drawing.


End file.
